Dance With Me, Jyou?
by Hikari Takaishi
Summary: Hikari has a crush on her tutor/friend. Exactly what happens between her and her dream-guy? Please r/r. I think it's kinda sweet. ^-^; H.T.~


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Dance With Me, Jyou?

"Hikari, do you understand?" One's voice asked, kind of impatiently. "Hikari. Pay attention. Are you listening to me?"

Hikari dropped her pencil and looked up from her desk. Jyou was adjusting his glasses, giving her a look. She blushed and picked it up. "I'm sorry, Jyou. I don't mean to space out."

He chuckled. "Well if you want to pass your biology exam, you better listen."

"I will. I'm sorry." Hikari smiled brightly.

The girl had an exam to study for. Who else better to ask for help other than Jyou? Hikari liked his way of teaching; he was a friend, so that made it even more fun. They've been studying for nearly three hours, but Hikari didn't mind. She didn't even want to drift into the daydreams she had. She loved hearing the sound of Jyou's voice. Even when he joked about things she didn't understand, she laughed. When he asked her a question that she didn't know, she'd make an innocent and intelligent sounding answer. Too bad it wasn't the correct rebuttal. Sometimes he would laugh at her. Other times he wasn't even amused.

As the study session drew to its conclusion, Hikari wished he didn't have to go. He said he had to study for his own test. She thought that he always had tests… She walked him to the door and he threw out some trivial questions just for fun. He knew that she'd get them right.

"The highest elevation point is?"

"Mount Everest."

"Square root of 196?"

"Er… Fourteen."

"The time?"

"The… oh! Of course!" Hikari laughed at herself. "Eight fifty-three."

"Thanks, Kiddo." Jyou chuckled. Hikari offered him a doughnut before he left and he took one. She, herself, bit into her doughnut and the frosting got smeared onto her cheek. Jyou chuckled again and wiped it off with his thumb. He thanked her again and left, eating the sugar from his finger.

"Don't eat too much chocolate now," he warned before he walked into the elevator.

"I wont." She said as the doors closed. A minute after he left, her smile increased and her cheeks lit up with a bright pink. Her fingers reached up to her cheek and she giggled. After a moment of daydreaming, she darted into her room to call Miyako. When she heard the front door open, she had to hold back from the phone call.

"Hikari?" Taichi called out. She popped her head out of the room.

"Yeah?"

"How'd the studying go?" he asked while letting his bag drop onto the ground. 

Hikari melted at the thought of reliving the study session. "It went great. I think I'm prepared for the test now."

"Great." Taichi said, getting the last doughnut. "Maybe you should get rest so you don't fall asleep when your teacher's passing out the tests."

Hikari smiled a little. "Okay, Taichi. Good night. Don't turn the light on when you go to sleep, or you'll wake me up."

A muffled "okay" came from her brother as he turned on the television set. Again, Hikari went into the room and sat on the top bunk. Her mind repeated the words of Jyou over and over again. _Thanks, Kiddo._ She fell back onto her pillow and sighed happily. The intelligence of her and her brother gave her the advantage of not getting up to turn the light off. She threw a stuffed animal and it hit the light switch so it went down. Darkness filled the room, and soon, a tired giggle. Hikari fell asleep with a simple smile on her face.

Hikari came running down the hallway to her apartment. She threw open the door and startled Taichi. Her face was red from running in the cold weather, but her smile was bright and proud.

"The test!" Taichi jumped up.

Hikari nodded.

"It went well?"

She nodded again.

"How well?"

She nodded excitedly and practically threw the test in his face. 

"A ninety eight!!" Taichi's jaw fell open. Hikari jumped up and down, unable to speak. She and her brother exchanged a hug.

"Congratulations, Hikari!" 

She squeaked, "Thanks!!" She then calmed down and asked, "Do you know if Jyou will be home soon?"

He shrugged. "His tests seem to go on forever."

Hikari sighed. "God, I know! I'd hate to be in high school…"

Taichi gave his sister another hug and set the test down. "I'm proud, Kari." 

She smiled. "Thanks, big brother."

An hour later, she tried calling Jyou. He didn't pick up, so she decided he was still testing. Another hour she tried again. One ring… Two rings… Three rings…

"Hello? This is Jyou."

"Jyou!" Hikari squeaked with joy. "Guess what?"

"Hikari!" He mocked playfully. "No, what?"

"I got a ninety-eight!!!" 

"Wow! I'm impressed! Good job, Hikari!"

She blushed over the phone. "Thanks, Jyou. And thanks for studying with me."

"Hey, it was fun."

Hikari beamed again.

"I say we celebrate. I'll take you out for an ice cream. Sound good to you?"

"Uh huh!"

"Okay then, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay." Hikari replied. "Oh, and Jyou?"

"Yeah?"

"How'd you do on your test?"

"I think I did well. I won't know until tomorrow."

Hikari twirled around her room, clutching the phone. "I'm sure you got a hundred percent." She added. Jyou chuckled.

"Well, bye, Hikari."

"Bye, Jyou." Then they hung up. Hikari was still dancing around her room when Taichi came in. She stopped and blushed. Then she started to laugh. Taichi shook his head and laughed at his sister. 

After she became calm again, she put on a sweater and took her coat into the kitchen. Taichi was looking over his report that was due the next day. Hikari sauntered over towards him, trying to act very lady like. He looked up at her and blinked.

"Is something wrong?"

"No." She said. "I'm just pretending I'm older. That's all."

Taichi smirked and sipped his soda. "You tell Jyou that if you come home with a scratch- I'll kill 'im."

"Oh, come on!" Hikari punched her brother lightly. "It's Jyou. And it's ice cream. And it's just a celebration."

"Sure, Hikari, sure." Teased Taichi.

She turned bright red. "Oh, hush up, you."

A knock interrupted the teasing and Hikari opened it. Jyou nodded in a greeting. Hikari held up her test proudly and he looked over it.

"Ah, Hikari…" His voice drifted as he read a question. "Family, Hikari, family. Not species."

She nodded. "I know, I know. Aren't I allowed to make a mistake?"

Jyou grinned and nudged Taichi. "She's already smarter than you." 

Taichi frowned. "Yeah? Well, so?"

Hikari giggled and set her test down. "C'mon, Jyou. I wanna get home in time for my favorite show."

Jyou blinked. "Ah, yeah. Your show that you never miss."

Hikari smiled at the fact that Jyou knew so much about her. She slipped her coat on and they exited.

It was bitterly cold outside, but the sky was clear. Hikari was following Jyou like a toddler does to one's father. She admired him so much. He was wise, funny, caring, and not to mention cute. When he would tell her the stories of how he never had time for a girlfriend, she always pictured him giving time to her. And when she thought about this, she often drifted into her daydreams.

They turned the corner and walked into the ice cream parlor. Despite the cold delights, the little store was very warm and welcoming. Hikari sat down on one of the spinning chairs and Jyou stood next to her.

"What do you wish to have?" he asked, glancing up at the flavors.

"Um…" She looked at them too. "Oh, maybe the strawberry and chocolate mix… No, no. Strawberry and vanilla."

Jyou nodded and ordered the ice cream. They sat down at the table near the window. For a while, they talked about their schools and how sarcastically fun they were. Hikari always stared at Jyou, unless he looked up, then she stared at her ice cream. They watched as young couples walked outside in the cold. Jyou said that it was comforting when one was walking with another around town when the holidays were near. 

"Oh, Christmas!" She blurted out.

"Huh?"

Hikari laughed shakily. "I mean um, what do you want for Christmas?"

"Well," Jyou said, "I don't really need anything right now. Would you like anything?"

Her heart raced. _Yes, Jyou! Of course there is! I'd like to have you._ She blinked at her thoughts and felt her cheeks redden. "I'm not sure either."

"I see." He nodded blankly. "We'll have to go Christmas shopping together then."

She smiled and looked down at her empty ice cream bowl. Jyou noticed his was empty too.

"I'll get us some hot chocolate to go." He stood up. She did as well and she went to wait by the door. He walked back and handed her the warm cup. She breathed in the sweet aroma of chocolate and opened the door. The cold air met them with a chill. But they didn't mind. They turned the corner to walk back and started to talk again.

"I appreciate you taking me to get ice cream." Hikari sipped the hot cocoa.

"No problem at all." Jyou looked at the girl shiver. He removed his jacket and set it on her shoulders, meaning for her to get warm. After pulling his sweater sleeves down a bit, he looked at Hikari who was blushing a little bit. 

They neared a trashcan and disposed of their empty cups. Hikari had slipped her arms into the heavy jacket, loving the feeling. Soon, the friends appeared at Hikari's apartment building. They took the elevator up. When arriving on her flat, they waited in the small elevator shaft, listening to the peaceful music.

"Jyou?" Hikari looked up, the teenage boy's jacket practically hiding her whole body. 

He looked down at her. "Yes?"

She felt her cheeks deepen in a shade of red. "Dance with me, Jyou?" Her eyes were clothed with hope.

Jyou smiled faintly at the girl's plea. "Okay, Hikari." Hikari smiled as well and hugged Jyou. From that position, they danced slowly in the unmoving elevator. Hikari's face was a deep cerise, and she was keeping her head tilted onto him. His hands were placed friendly on her back. Again, she loved the touch. 

"Jyou," she broke their silent dance. "Why do you say you have no time for a girlfriend?"

The older friend realized the girl's feelings and pulled her back a little. "Hikari, are you--"

She blushed again. "Jyou, I just don't---"

"Listen," he knelt down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're an adorable little… young lady, but I don't think it would work out between you and I, Hikari."

Tears rushed into her eyes and her cheeks burned. "But you said that you liked enjoying my company a long time ago."

"But I do. And I will always. I care for you, Hikari. I just don't think I care for you the way you do for me."

Tears slipped out of her eyes even though she tried so desperately to hold them back. Jyou's hand never left her shoulder, nor did he break their eye contact. Her bottom lip started to quiver uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry," he said gently. "I didn't mean to mislead you. And I didn't mean for you to set your dreams on me. I almost wish I were younger."

She winced. "Age?" she whispered.

"Not just age," he whispered back. "We're just not compatible."

"But we are!" She protested strongly.

"You're too young to be in love anyway, Hikari." He said with a solid tone. "For all you know, it's just infatuation in disguise."

"But-but it's not, Jyou!" Hikari cried out, the tears getting bigger and heavier. "I do love you, Jyou. I do, I do, I do!"

"Shh," he gave her an amicable hug. "You don't, Kari. Trust me on this."

The young girl buried her face on his chest as he embraced her. She cried almost silently, the music was still filling the elevator. When the door opened, Hikari shot her head up. An elderly woman stepped in and Jyou lifted the girl into her arms. He carried her out and she was still crying. Jyou set her down against the wall and placed himself next to her.

"You'll be okay." Jyou said in his caring tone.

"No I won't." She whimpered.

Jyou grinned. "C'mon. You know you'll find someone else who's more intelligent and better looking than I." He started to insult himself to get the girl to laugh. She didn't. Every time he put himself down, she would claim that he wasn't what he said. When her tears ceased, she looked up at him.

"Jyou," she whispered, "I do love you."

"No you don't. You just think you do." Jyou tried to convince her. No matter how hard he tried, she kept saying that she did care for him. When it started to get late, he told her to go inside to calm down. He said that him being here wasn't helping her at all. Again she protested, she said that she liked having him near and that he seemed to make everything better. 

Jyou checked his watch. "I think I should go."

The girl shook her head and hugged him. "Please don't go." Jyou's heart sank when he heard her voice. It was strong, but weak. As was it gentle and helpless.

"I'll stay." 

Time passed with silence. Hikari stayed in her crush's arms, the whole time wishing and dreaming. Soon she fell asleep. Jyou lifted her into his arms again and walked to her apartment door. He cautiously knocked on the door with his foot. Taichi opened it and immediately saw Hikari. Before he could say anything, Jyou silenced him with a "sh". 

Taichi let him in, still curious of what happened, and Jyou walked into her room. He managed to get her onto the top bunk and pulled her sneakers off. Covering her up with her blankets, Jyou paused to look at her, still wrapped up in his coat. She opened her eyes a little bit and saw him.

Jyou kept a finger to his lips and he gently kissed her on the forehead. "You better get some rest. You still have school tomorrow." Her cheeks lit up with a gentle shade of pink and she nodded. Her eyes shut and she fell back asleep. Jyou patted her on the head and walked to the door. "Good night, Kiddo." He turned off the light and left.

With a sigh, Hikari whispered. "Good night, Jyou… I love you…"


End file.
